Dancing with the Stars eliminated Sugar Ray Leonard and professional partner Anna Trebunskaya during Tuesday night's third live twelfth-season results show on ABC.

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The retired boxer and former The Contender host and Trebunskaya became the third couple ousted from the competition based on the combination of the Dancing with the Stars judges' scores they had received during Monday night's performance show and the home viewer votes that were cast afterwards.

"That's life and I put up a good fight and I will cherish this moment -- great friends, great people great show," Leonard said when Dancing with the Stars host Brooke Burke asked if he was surprised to be eliminated.

Dancing with the Stars host Tom Bergeron then told Leonard many people felt he was the heart of the show this season, and asked him what he loved so much about his experience on Dancing with the Stars.

"I love the spirit of the show. I love the people of the show. I love what the show means and what the show represents and stands for. I will cherish this moment," Leonard added following his ouster. 

Leonard and Trebunskaya had finished in eighth -- and next to last -- place on Monday night's judging leaderboard after they performed a Viennese waltz which only received 21 points out of 30 possible points from Dancing with the Stars judges Len Goodman, Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli.

Disney Channel star Chelsea Kane and partner Mark Ballas were the other couple still in danger of elimination prior to Leonard and Trebunskaya's ouster, however Bergeron noted they were not necessarily the other couple in the bottom two based on the combination of the judges' scoring and home viewer votes from Monday night's performance show.

Kane and Ballas had finished at the top of the judges' leaderboard in first place after they had performed a Viennese waltz which received 26 points from the judges.

NFL football star Hines Ward and actor Ralph Macchio had finished tied for second place on the leaderboard with their partners after they each received 25 points from the judges.

Ward had danced a paso doble with partner Kym Johnson, while Macchio had performed a waltz with partner Karina Smirnoff.

Fourth place also represented a tie between three couples: rapper Romeo and partner Chelsie Hightower, WWE wrestler Chris Jericho and partner Cheryl Burke, and supermodel and former A Model Life star Petra Nemcova and partner Dmitry Chaplin.

All three couples had performed paso doble routines which earned 23 points from the judges.

Actress and former Kirstie Alley's Big Life star Kirstie Alley and partner Maksim Chmerkovskiy had finished in seventh place on the leaderboard after they had performed a waltz which received 22 points.

Kendra and former The Girls Next Door star Kendra Wilkinson and partner Louis van Amstel finished in ninth -- and last -- place on the judges' leaderboard after they performed a Viennese waltz which only received 18 points from the judges.
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski

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